Near Syange March 29, 2001 Evening. Today I awoke after a great sleep. Heather felt sick, it rained like hell, I ate another excellent Dal Bhat with black mushrooms while we waited out the storm, Heather hired a porter for her bag to the next town, she apologized for being bitchy earlier, and we left after 12:30 – the Gorung hotel hostesses’ daughters wanted some. The porter brought his little brother and they (ages 18 and 13) tag-teamed Heather’s bag up and down the steepish hillsides. The older porter boy (named Karma) was greeted warmly everywhere by the locals – he was hip. The young brother (named Gore) started picking us strange fruit along the way. One looked like a tighter-celled raspberry (sour and sweet), one like a tiny lotus with a cluster of tiny yellow persimmon looking beads atop it (sweet and musky) and another that looked like a hard green grape - juicy and crunchy with bitter water inside. Great views. Stayed at the first motel style place we ran across before Syange with a fine Aussie lady (of course) accompanied by a thick-necked rugby player. I took a cold shower there and washed my stinky t-shirt. Gorgeous waterfall across the valley could be seen from the dorm window. Early morning. Enjoyed perfect scintillating star clarity last night, mountains in relief in the silver light. Today all is perfect, clear, valley edge streches away towards towering snowcapped giants. Big white vibrating waterfalls writhe against the valley wall opposite us. Shane and Heather really enjoy the cacophonous tonal rumble of the mule trains bells and we all awoke to this sound today. High HOT noon near Jagat. “Heather and I were noticing what a lot of human effort it took to build all the crop terraces – right up the mountain” Shane says with a sweep of his arm to a crowd of Aussie ladies sharing our shade rock. “Wow, that is a beautiful river and valley – look at the snow up top, yeah, I want to make a snow angel up there right now” Heather says as we all bake in the noon heat. I think Shane and Heather are getting a good feel for the land. Next Entry