the trail


stove on lamjura Pass


toilet on Lamjura Pass, overlooking moutains


yes, that's a goat getting out of the rain. I want a goat.


dining room





The second day on the trail was much less frustrating, but even more strenuous. I walked considerably farther than my guidebook suggested, ascending around 2000 meters up to the Lamjura Pass, where I met two guys, one from Canada and another from Belgium. We decided to stay at the same guesthouse, which turned out to be the best one I stayed at the entire way, not because the accommodations were fancy, but because the family was so friendly and the food was so good. It was very cold and rainy up on the pass, so we all sat around the open fire/stove/oven all night long. This fire was fed by a great deal of wood, brought in regularly by 'grandpa.' I have no doubt that these woodburning stoves contribute greatly to the deforestation in the area (and all over Nepal). Porters continuously came through during the evening, setting down their loads and taking a quick bowl of noodle soup, and then leaving for the trail again, even in the dark. The lodge owners made us dal baat with fresh mushrooms and cauliflower. It was some of the best dal baat I have had. As the altitude goes up, the variety of vegetables in the dal baat goes down--after a while, it was mainly potatoes. I accidently left the door to my room open at the Lamjura Pass lodge, and when I came back, there were four goats in the room, up on the bed, trying to get out of the rain.
I will also note that almost from day one, I became addicted to Tibetan bread, eating it up to 3 times a day. It is a deep-fried, dense, sweet bread--perfect for when I am walking all day.