We stopped at a place for water. The woman had two kids. One was about 1 year old and he came toward me for my cracker. Then there was a little girl about 4. I was trying out my Nepalise. There are some phrases in back of a book. She just laughed at me.
From there it was a short distance to where we are going for the night. We were going to Tal. We could see it from above the village. It looked like a huge place comparing it to what we have seen. The map that I had said there was a health post. I was hoping for something to get for my diarrhea.
We got to the village and I felt like I was in the old west with half the place closed up and falling down. There were horses roaming, the one street, which was nothing but a stone walk.
The room? Well it was quite depressing. It reminded me of Alcatraz, dark, dark, and dreary. The building floor and rooms were either stacco or cement. The toilet was not very pleasant. They did have a shower which we were planning to use.. It was even hot water and felt so good. It changed my mood. I was still having a problem with diarrhea. I laid down for a while and I felt chilled, My stomach felt OK, but I was cold, but hot. I ended up walking into the rest of the village looking for the health post. It was closed up. Looks like it hasn't been used in a long time. I went back to the room and slept. I was hot and cold. Once I got up for dinner I felt a little better, but didn't feel like eating. I had chipitas, which are like flour tortillas, with jelly and some boiled potatoes. I couldn't eat much but they were good. I gave the rest to Nar and the boys. Speaking of the boys, they did our wash today. They did it the old fashion way, but that is how they do it. Scrubbed with a brush and soap on a rock. Then they rinse them off. It feels weird having someone do my wash, especially my underwear.
After dinner we went back to the room and I saw a huge hairy spider. I went to Nar and the boys and asked which one was brave. They all looked at me funny. When I told them there was a huge spider, they laughted at me. I told them it looked like a tarantula. Pratik finally came up. I told him be better not let it drop on my bed. Well it did and Nar and Singa came trying to look for it. They got it and was actually surprised how big it was. I told them to look for any of his brothers that might be under the bed. I never had liked spiders, but I have gotten better about them. It is just the big, hairy, ugly ones I hate. I was writing this a bug dropped right on my bed and made me jump. It was only a beetle, which I killed. We have our windows closed because the moths are trying to get into our room because of the light. There are so many banging against the window. It sounds like rain.
Nar told us that this isn't as nice, but not so crowded. I think I would have preferred a better place. My room is very hot, but I feel better than I did earlier. It is only 8:30, I guess I will read for awhile.
April 24, 2003
Well, the day didn't start off very well as I still had diarrhea, a swollen ankle, and an upset stomach. Also, I am probably dehydrated. We started hiking about 7:00. It rained last night, but the day was clear. We could see the mountains with snow on them.
I felt nauseous. I am tired of smelling cow and horse dung and urine all day and the smoke from the burning of wood. We stopped about 9:00 for breakfast. I only had a half a pancake. I just wasn't up to eating and I wasn't sure how it would affect my digestive system. By the time we stopped for lunch, I was finally a little better. I just had noodle soup which is like Ramen noodles. We rested a bit and then headed out. We got views of one of the Annapurnas. The sights are getting much nicer. We had less horses and cows to avoid today. The second half of the day was more taxing on me. So far the trail had been very gentle with ups and downs, but I think I felt it more today because I haven't eaten much. This area reminds me a lot of hiking at home. The trees, the leaves on the trail, the river, and the large rocks in the river. It was nice, but I was tired, but I knew I was feeling bettter, because I felt like eating. I had taken a pill this morning to help my stomach and I think it was working.
We saw some men cutting trees down, cutting the bark off, and then sawing logs. They were using a two man saw. They had a bunch of wood stacked that they had done. It must have taken forever. I saw one man carrying 4-10 pieces of 4 x 6's on his back.
We finally arrived at Chame about 4:30. It was a long day. The day had cooled off and I was chilled because of my sweaty cloths. I changed into something warm and had hot chocolate. Went down for dinner and then afterward I took a shower. The shower felt wonderful. I didn't want to get out, but the sign says to conserve water and not to stay any longer than necessary.
The place we are in is nice, well, nice for the area.
If you asked me about the hike yesterday I would have said that it was horrible, but today I definitely see an improvement. I talked to Pratik while hiking. I found out that he is only 18. He didn't go to school in his village and he taught himself English. He has been a porter for 5 months. With the money he helps his family, good kid. He asked me what I thought of Nepal. I didn't know how to answer him without offending him, so I just said that it was different from any place that I have been. I told him that it is hard for me to see these people who have such hard lives. I would like to give this kid a chance at something better.
April 25, 2003
We had breakfast and before we set out I tried the corn bread. It was quite different. It was brown, round, and flat. It was OK.
As we started out we had clear, beautiful views of some snow covered mountains. Seeing these views makes all the bad things go away. The hike was more ups and downs and I felt tired. We are starting to get up in elevation.
We have been hiking regularly with a few different groups of people. There is one couple from France, one couple from Germany, and two girls from Australia, plus their guides and porters. It has nice because we have more time to get to know them. We stopped at noon for a snack. I had a cinnamon bun. It has been about the only food that I have eaten that was close to home food. While we were walking out there was a man who was selling jewelry. I decided to stop because the German man bought something interesting earlier and I wanted to see what he had. Anyways there were some rings that caught my eye
