Date: 2nd Apr, 2014.
The wing beats of the helicopter grew louder as it approached the teahouse we were staying in, flying through the hills. It was only 6:30 and we weren't meant to wake up until 7:30. It came in low through the mist shrouded valley, hauling a heavy load dangling below it. A new hydro-station was being built in the area, which will use the river water to generate electricity. The chopper was delivering huge segments of pipe required for the construction down in the valley directly below the teahouse. We couldn't get back to sleep, so decided to wake up and initiate the morning routine. We won't have to pack away the sleeping bag today as we will be staying another night at the teahouse.
It had a been a hard few days of trekking up and down over the mountains and after suffering some minor setbacks the previous day, we decided to spend the day in Kharikhola to recuperate. Kavita had twisted her ankle yesterday and it was still sore this morning. The bunion and toes on her left foot had also been playing up after the long hours of trekking over the past few days. We both had blisters on our feet and after the shower yesterday, we had applied the Compee blister plasters on the broken skin to protect the wounds and prevent them from deepening from the chaffing inside our boots. The hard fall I had yesterday after slipping on a loose rock was causing mild spasms across my lower back. The slight fever I had the previous day had abated, but I woke up with a runny nose this morning. I took an antibiotic to trigger my immune system and keep the flu at bay. A good days rest would soon have us right as rain.
It was a glorious sunny day, so we had breakfast outside in the teahouse's verandah which was on main alleyway that cuts through the village. I had my usual porridge with honey. Kavita decided to try the Tibetan bread, which was basically the same as an Indian fried 'Paratha'.
Our washed clothes were still wet from the previous day, so we left them hanging on the cables behind the sleeping quarters to dry out in the sun.
We spent the day hanging around the teahouse, observing the village folk go about their day to day business. Trains of mules, led by a muleteer went by every so often with their jingles and bells chiming a melodious ring. Peddlers carrying heavy loads on their back went by in either direction, walking long distances from village to village trying to sell their wares to the locals. Children on their way to school stopped by, fascinated by all the gadgets we were using. We fanned their curiosity by letting them playing with the iPad and the iPhone. I remember seeing my first ever computer as a child, in Nairobi, and how it intrigued me. It seemed a work of magic and I yearned to touch it. I made a decision that very day to learn all there was to know about computers and understand them. I wonder if letting these children play with our gadgets will also leave a lifelong and lasting impression on them too.
A lot of people have asked me "What is trekking ?". In a country like Nepal, which is renowned for trekking, you walk from village to village using the existing pathways that are used by the locals to get to your ultimate destination. In our case, we started from Jiri and followed the tracks between all the villages mentioned in the blog. It's a great way to explore the country and to some extent experience the lives of the local people.
The owners of the teahouse, a young husband and wife, were having a ceremony to seek blessing and good fortune for the teahouse, which also serves as their home. Three monks from the local monastery at Kharikhola were seated in a row, reciting from their holy scriptures, rather like a Hindu 'Katha'. The husband was also seated amongst them. It was fascinating to watch. The ceremony lasted almost all day, with the occasional break for refreshments and meals.
Round about lunch time, two others trekkers, Sue & Ivan from Devon, UK, arrived at the teahouse. They too, were going to spend the night here and after they had settled down in their room (adjacent to ours), we spent some time exchanging our trekking experiences. They were on their way to Gokyo Ri, a vantage point with beautiful lakes and great views west of Everest Base Camp.
In the late afternoon, I headed out further into the village with Dorje and Kaji to find an electrical shop that would replace the broken plug of the extension lead I had purchased from Jiri. It had proved to be most useful and I wanted to have it repaired. We were lucky. Kharikhola had a small electrical shop run by an Indian. All the surrounding villages relied on him to supply and mend electrical parts, including bulbs. He replaced the plug on the extension lead for 50 NRP (30 pence), including labour !! On our way to the teahouse, it started to rain. I hoped our washed clothes were now dry and Kavita had taken them in before they got wet again.
Night wore on fairly quickly today. It always does when you are relaxed. But we were washed, refreshed and re-energised after the toil of the last few days. Our ailments felt healed. Our washed clothes were dry too. We were ready to move on. We had a dinner of egg fried rice and Dal Bhat at around 19:30, followed by a few games of Rami. I won the best of 5 games at 3-2. Sue and Ivan had already retired for the night. They had an earlier start than us the following day. It is courteous to stagger the trek start times for different groups so not everyone is trying to use the toilets and wash sink at the same time in the morning. It also allows the teahouse cook(s) enough time to cook breakfast in the one fire hearth and serve it to everyone in a timely manner.
We were all tucked in our sleeping bags by 21:00, dropping off fairly quickly. It had been a good day.
Trekking Technicals:
REST DAY AT KHARIKHOLA
Start Point: Kharikhola (2,006m)
End Point: Kharikhola (2,006m)
Distance: 0.0km (77.6km)
Total Moving Time: 0h 0m
Total Ascent: 0m (agg. 6,193m)
Total Descent: 0m (agg. 6,152m)
Min Elevation: 2,006m
Max Elevation: 2,006m
Trekking Tip:
Know when to stop and rest. Understand the changes in your body whilst trekking and listen to it. Learn simple First Aid techniques and carry it out on yourself. The nearest doctor in remote areas may be a few hours walk away. Know when a minor ailment has the potential of becoming fatal and treat it accordingly. Even the smallest ailment such as a blister on your foot can hamper your progress further down the road if left untreated. Many a mountaineer has failed in their objective by ignoring the signs and not taking proper precautions.
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