"Some dance to remember"

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"Some dance to remember, some dance to forget."

This song is partially stuck in my head, even as the song has changed to Hindi in the background I've finally come to understand the true meaning of Cam's words as I sit here admist a place he would despise or would possibly remind him of his home. I'm missing him some now - had a dream of him last night although I'm not sure what it was about. He said that he'd see me in a year and to some extent the more I miss him the more it really does seem that long. There is very little to do today. It's raining outside and we've long reached our destination for the day and had lunch here. We walked most of the way with a man from the Czech Republic who was fairly pessimistic and loved to give his guide a hard time. His name was Ladi, he despised Czech, America, China and the Olympics, wasn't into sports and had stopped being into music when he was 18 and his father finally allowed him to stop playing the trombone. He had bad knees so was trekking wtih two long bamboo sticks. he didn't really wish to trek with a guide as he preferred being alone and doing things like yoga and meditation so he was teasing him about making him carry his clothes and sleeping bag that he didn't need and not giving him the best deals on rooms - as I'd gotten a cheaper one ($0.75, tonights is $1.25). He had a girlfriend who he wished to come with him but she didn't seem to want to and he no longer cared that much. I'd love to have Cam come with me but I definitely can't see him here - walking in the rain and mud, for such a long time I don't think would be his thing but you never know. If he were to come and enjoy it I'd be very happy.

At lunch everyone else ate at a place an hour from Ghorepani - Ladi made his own food and therefore got to pay less. The guides had their usual Dal Bhat (or Thali in Hindi) a big plate of dal, vegetables and rice. Unfortunately at the time I didn't feel hungry so I didn't eat - big mistake, even though I'd had a breakfast of Tibetan bread (really great stuff) and porridge with milk tea it wasn't enough to make that last hour and I ended up panting like a dog and having to stop a lot before making it to the lodge. I had lunch there with two Japanese students who had decided not to walk for the day due to the rain. They were very nice and suggested I visit Kyoto and Hiroshima while in Japan. Now I've just finished washing my clothes which are hanging around a fire in the middle of the kitchen/lounge room of the hotel. Some of the people that live here are playing chess but the guides and Jpanaese are in their rooms - possibly sleeping - and Ladi decided to pick another lodge for whatever reason so I'm left to listen to the radio being played in the kitchen and either read or play cards by myself for now.

This is certainly strange. It seems that the majority of people who go trekking love to be alone. I'm sitting here in the common room and every single one of the guides is sitting around talking. All of the foreigners are in their respective rooms sitting - all 4 of them. What's also strange is I know Olivier was a typical trekker but he was looking forward to going with me and I with him. I seem to be a little of an odd bug even for the trekkers for what I love to do the most is meet zillions of different people and sit aroudn chatting of course they're guides so conceivably I could sit around talking to them as they all speak English but they seem to be in their comfort zone speaking Nepali so I'll let them be. When I met Ladi on the trail I even told him I was glad to be trekking with someone else and he didn't seem to share my views.

I sat around for a while longer before a Spanish woman came and sat with me - strange woman (one of the first who doesn't mind a foreigner speaking Spanish outside a Spanish speaking area). She loves to talk in English or Spanish. The other Spanish man and I ended up just sitting there listening to her talk and trying to be nice in the end but I had to take some breaks from her and go talk to my guide and the Japanese guide as well as play some rounds of solitaire. Turns out she'd been rushing through the highest trek she's ever done through the Annapurnas. She went on the 20 day one Olivier was to do but ended up doing it in 18 days.

I'm to go to bed now as the generator will go off soon and we may have to get up at 4am tomorrow.

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