Day 13: Saturday October 19th
Muktinath to Kagbeni (2804m-9200")
Had stomach trouble this AM. No breakfast, just tea. Had a good laugh when the Basque guy turned the light bulb out to take a picture and the whole thing fell apart.
Explained to Ram we wanted to continue the trek as planned. If he could arrange another guide and porter for us we would consider letting them go. Or even a porter in lieu of Hari. Ram said Hari would not go by himself to Pokhara. He had never been to Pokhara . I guess he was nervous traveling alone. They are disappointed, a bit of tension for awhile.
Before leaving this morning I bought a woven scarf from a lady in the street. She had a loom set up in the street to demonstrate how they were woven.
The landscape is very dry and brown. It is a long winding path, many places with
steep descents to Kagbeni. Pauline is very tired to-day. Fell twice outside Muktinath.
She finally let Ram take her pack. It seemed to help her.
Arrived in Kagbeni by noon for lunch. Ram seems to have the leadership qualities as all the guide and porters seek his advice and direction. Rested for a while in Kagbeni. The wind was coming up strong and I asked Ram to stay the night here instead of going on to Jomson. The wind comes up here in the afternoon and roars down the Kali Gandaki valley picking up dust from the river bed and the surrounding banks. So very dry here. Stayed at the Nilgiri View hotel. Had Room 4 on the second floor. The toilet and shower room were at the end of the hall. They were building a glassed in sun room on the second floor.
Went for a walk in town while Pauline was resting. Put a scarf over my mouth and nose at times to keep the dust out. The dust seeps through every crack it can find. The lodge people close everything up tight as they can. Met the three South Africans washing their clothes at the village tap.
This is a very old almost medieval town. Streets are narrow with walls. Keeps the cold and wind out. The walls and houses are made of mud and stone. In the streets are calves, chickens, donkeys, children playing. People are washing clothes in the stream that runs through the town, also washing dishes there. There are quite a few nice looking hotels.
Came back and went out again with Pauline.
Back at the hotel I tried to take a shower, took off all my clothes and found out there was no water in the tap. Oh well every one else is in the same situation. The shower rooms never seem to have any hooks to hang clothes on. You have to find a ledge or some such thing to put your things on. Nima told me he had soaped all up when the water quit on him. Did get my socks washed. Hope they dry by morning. Legs are starting to get sore from all the descents.
Sat at the dinner table with our legs under the blanket. They put charcoal under the blankets to warm it up. Caroline had shorts on and got a lot of bites. Maybe flees. Drank the local beer (Chang) for the first time to-night. It was a white colour with an unusual taste. It is sort of like yogurt. Liked it after a while. Guys are drinking, singing and dancing. They are still celebrating the festival. I took some pictures of Tassie and Hari dancing.
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