Easter Sunday, a horrible walk and Apricot Brandy

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Woke up in Muktinath on Easter Sunday morning feeling fantastic. Unsurprisingly. Plus, after not having eaten chocolate (even for medicinal trekking reasons!) since Ash Wednesday I got to crack open the mini eggs. Gave everyone one, including the porters. Then had to explain what Easter was and why chocolate eggs. Actually the link between chocolate eggs and the Easter story all seemed to get a bit tenuous when trying to explain it to Nepali people in very simple English, but hey, chocolate is always good!

Brian told us the walk today would be easy and largely flat, so in high spirits we set off to Jomson. The morning was beautiful, we stopped for lunch in a little village called Kag Beni. We had been warned to bring scarfs to cover our mouths for the next bit to Jomson as it was very windy and dusty. UNDERSTATEMENT.

All the things that irritate me most combined together. Wind so strong it could knock you over, stones underfoot all the way, my toe joint throbbing mercilessly, flat, unchanging scenery, dust storms so bad you had to turn your back and hold your breath until they passed. My mood lowered considerably. I stomped along as fast as I could, it was joyless, uncomfortable, annoying, painful walking.

By the time we reached Jomson it was pouring with rain and we were black with dust. Actually that was quite funny as no one seemed to have any conception of quite how they looked. I had a comedic black monobrow, a mouth full of grit and looked as if I'd been down a coal mine. Wasn't that keen on Jomson to be honest, not hugely pretty, but the hotel was GREAT. I had a double bed! And an ensuite shower!

In the evening we were to say goodbye to our porters. We had a meal together, said thank you and then they cracked open the apricot brandy. One mouthful and you thought 'never again', a second and you thought 'actually....' a third and... I took quite a shine to it. I finished up everyone else's which might explain why 10 minutes later, me Collette and Douglas were up and dancing as the porters played drums and sang. Terrific night. And very sad to see them all go. Talking to them, learning some Nepali and having them around was one of the highlights of the trip.

We set off for Tatopani and the hot springs the next day, attempting to fit 15 people into one jeep. But only after I had managed to break the hotel toilet......

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