Day 3: Onward to Upper Pisang

10.6.08

Onward to Upper Pisang:
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- started at 7:45 the next morning and had an amazing view of Manaslu after our first uphill.

- got a complement from a Nepali guide that `I was walking fast and strong' :) .. though he perhaps guides a lot of tourists, many of whom may not be routine hikers back home. I told him I always have a little extra energy in the morning, though I need to work on my stamina - I slow down as the day progresses.

- Alex and I saw a little girl playing catch with a hackey - I started playing with her. Pretty soon three other little girls joined. It was a nice experience, I like little people!

- we stopped in Talekhu for lunch: it was some of the best daal, bhat, tarkari yet. Rita, Alex and I were playing with the three kids who I presume lived in this home. Misha was out shooting photographs. The mum of the children was our host - she had a small, clean kitchen with one stove using firewood for fuel. She'd prepared daal (lentils), bhat (rice) and quickly made spinach and potatoes for us. The spinach was fresh from the garden - so good!

- we enjoyed and thanked her for a great meal. In the meantime, a monk had also come and joined. As we left, he decided to walk with us and we soon realised he was drunk as he tried to first test then walk off with my trekking pole. Alex made sure I got it back.

- I also met a guide for a father-daughter team. He's a teacher and they all have holidays for a big festival (Dusarat or Dusherra) so he was out working as a guide. He's a Gurkha and his brother is in the Indian Army, which has Gurkha regiments, actively recruits them. Gurkha's have historically been active members of the Indian Army.

- we walked through a lovely evergreen forest. There was a clear lake along the way, eventually the path led through a big, open valley. Upper Pisang is at ~ 11,000ft (3300m); I felt a bit of a headache in the back of my head.