Pressing on into pine tree forests 12/6 Day 4
Up at 6 and breakfast at 7 in the tiny room they call a restaurant. This time we had museli w apples and and egg. Last night a horse nayed right by our window, pretty freaky when you are sleeping. Andy is sick, he caught my cold. Poor guy.
The hike started very nice, flat for as flat can be around here. We followed some schools children and a dog to Thanchowk. It was pretty chilly without having sun on us. This side of the mountain does that much sun in the winter. We stopped in Koto for some masala tea and the hiker check point. The children got us again w their namastes. I think the only English words they know are chocolate and some like biscuit or biscotti. Oh no you don't, no more sweets from us (plus it's frowned upon). Andy's cold was hitting him hard. It was nice to soak up a little sun, especially since last night was so foggy and damp.
We made great time to Chame. We set high goals for reaching Upper Pisang so I pushed for us to use the road instead of the trail. The trail is the scenic route, not the fast way. Plus, these fucking maps are terrible. They are just fucking wrong so it's hard to make the right call on where to go. It's not that you'll get lost, you just might take longer than expected. Walking through the pine forests was lovely. So peaceful plus the smell of pine always makes me smile.
We stopped in Bhratang for lunch. We learned from the last couple days that Beth needs to eat so she doesn't have a breakdown (I cried a bit at the end of our uphill hike yesterday). Plus this place is known for their apples, it's a whole valley of orchards. We have an apple pancake and garlic noodle soup. So good. Although it was already 2, we decided to make the push for our destination. One of the mountains when hiking looked so odd. It was like one piece of rock w some layers falling away. It was so huge, it took up the entire side of a valley, and it was in a bowl shape. The shape of it made us feel very small. We made good time, it took us 2.5 hours to get to Upper Pisang instead of the 4 expected. Food does wonders!
We were hiking on the high trial to UP, then I noticed Lower Pisang along the road, just beneath UP. It sounds logical, but the fucking maps make it look like UP is closer. So your telling me I didn't have to hike up a hill? Wtf. We find a great hotel (the town apparently doesn't have wifi) and we meet other foreigners! I was starting to think we were the only people on the mountain. They are very nice and from Croatia, here to cross the pass in just 8 days. We sit by the fire and chat. We shared a large thermos of lemon ginger honey tea and we eat a veg spring roll, veg momos, and mushroom soup for dinner. I could eat more but I'll save it for breakfast. I love that you tell themwhat time you want breakfast and what to eat and it's all ready. Today was intense. 38k steps, 19 miles. I really want a rest day.