[is where we are hiking. No connectivity. update when I return to the comforts of hot water and electricity] Note – there was plenty of hot water and a generator several times a day …
If you get up early enough, and you are lucky – you might see mountains – Annapurna South and Fishtail. That is, of course, if the pollution isn’t too bad.
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- vague view of Fishtail
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- South peak barely showing
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- across the valley
What you have to remember is that the mountains aren’t exactly close and the two two main peaks (only one of which is at all visible) are both well over 8000 meters….
So it was that after breakfast we hiked to one of the villages up the hill.
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- village houses on the way up
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- goats on the roof
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- goats from a distance
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- some of the paths
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- steps
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- another village
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- path past a village
One of the houses has been turned in to a museum…
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- overnight stop and Museum
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- the musem
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- downstairs
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- beds on both sides
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- tools up stairs
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- more tools
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- weapons…
A young woman from the south married one of the local men, established one of the many small tea houses/over night stops along this hiking trail. For not all that much, overnight in an actual bed and 1-2 meals. There is running water at a pump and a decent toilet to boot. As it turns out, she was also one of our porters.
Many of the men from the village work in the mid-east, especially UAE.
Meanwhile, one of the younger women manages their local micro-economic fund/bank.
fund manager, now 19
everyone contributes a small amount per month. Loans can be granted. Interest rate is significant…
Hiking back down, we stopped at the local health clinic
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- there are always steps
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- the center
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- the exam room
and looked at life as we walked
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- chickens
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- and children
There were only two of us who elected to take a second hike in the afternoon.
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- local cremation sites
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- the trail to the next village along the ridge
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- more terraced fields
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- a young “cow”
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- trail with hazards
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- lousy air
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- houses at a distance
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- older house
and I will admit that in total it was a lot of stairs…
