Friday, August 22, 2008

30 June 2008, Bahundanda to Chamje


30 June 2008
Bahundanda (1310m) to Chamje (1425m)

One hundred and fifteen meters! How deceptive the figures are. We spent the day climbing and descending as we followed the river upstream. The valley became more precipitous and we had to climb over each spur as the river was in spate. As a result of 10 km hike took us over six hours.

Apart from a little drizzle, today was fine, although sufficiently humid to leave us drenched with sweat. My boots have dried out to the extent that they have stopped squelching and now stink like a rotting corpse.

There are so many butterflies now on the trail. Dambar doesn’t know what they are called, but today we counted at least ten species. They are colourful, and in the case of little blue ones that fly around your legs in the dozens, mesmerizingly beautiful. One black and white butterfly, about an inch and a half across, almost disappears when it lands, flattening its wings against the ground and looking like a dead leaf.

I’ve been having some trouble with my left knee, which has become intermittently painful. This is ironic as we haven’t done much yet. In March, in the Everest Base Camp trek, I didn’t have any trouble at all. I have taken two paracetamol washed down with a couple of bottles of luke warm Gorkha beer, and am hoping that it is better by morning.

We passed a group of horses on the trail, not one of which was without a sore on its tail or back. Some of these open wounds were several inches across. i find it difficult to understand how people can let animals get into this state, particularly when they depend on them for a living. The saddles they use here seem woefully inadequate. it wouldn’t take much to improve on them - a project for one of the animal charities perhaps.

How easily infections are transferred. The little girl at the lodge finds my writing fascinating and has been holding the end of my pen whilst I write, carefully feeling the movements that produce the words on the paper. Like her whole family she is suffering from a cold and a horrid cough. Pausing for thought I just chewed the end of my pen. Maybe another bottle of beer will kill the germs.

Did I mention that I am traveling with a crew of 3? It makes live very easy as I only have to carry my camera and an umbrella. This is definitely the way to trek.

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