Still climbing but also cleaning!!

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Today we went from the foot of Gumbarajon to the Lhakang, Shingo La Base camp (4740m). We didn't go over the pass today as after the pass there will be a long descend. And also it cuts a big climb into 2!

But it's getting colder and colder. Today was also a very short day, so we had to wait at the base-camp for several hours. I didn't feel like climbing anything around us as it was to cold. So I decided to give this camping ground a major clean up! (In special honor of my sister Ann-Laure)

You have to know that there is no garbage truck driving around here!

With the previous horseman, we managed to explain to him that we wanted to keep all of our garbage with us so we could throw it away in a major town. But with Shashi, again, there was no way he would want to understand us. So at each camping ground he threw everything, at best, in the campsite's bin. But then it just stays there, if it's not blown away by the wind, and then it is burned every so often.

So that is why I decided to clean this camping thoroughly. Here's the list of things I found around the camp:

Cigarette buds, All kinds of packaging, toilet paper (especially baby wipes), tampons and hygienic towels, a pair of shoes, a cap, tin cans, several bottles, Nylon ropes, drinking cartons, cotton tiges, condom, plastic bags an bottles, aluminum foil, etc...

A miscellaneous mix of stuff used by tourists and horsemen. I put it all (except glass and tin cans), mixed with all the dried horseshit I could find, in a place protected from the wind. A big scoop of kerosene over it and woooooof a big fire. OK it's not great to burn all this plastic and aluminum will not burn, that will stay here forever, but it's a lesser evil than to leave it all to the heavy winds.

So pleeeeeaaaaaassssseeee to all trekkers among you, think and use as little things that don't decompose in nature as you can, and try to take all your garbage back to towns so to leave nature as pristine as possible.

Peace on a clean earth, love to you all!

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Photos

Garbage
Pour Ann-Laure

More Garbage
Pour Ann-Laure

Burning Garbage
Pour Ann-Laure