Namche Bazaar to Chursema. An American Afternoon.
Lisa is feeling worse. In addition to nausea and stomach problems, she is now battling a cold. She is keeping her spirits up, but it certainly isn’t a fun way to hike. She’s managing to at least eat Ramen, so she’s getting a few calories again.
This morning we’re headed to Chursema, Tsering’s home. The day is sunny and warm and trail is packed with groups of trekkers heading up to Base Camp. Trekking season is clearly starting and we’ve timed it just right.
The trail down is green and jungly. We’re back to waterfalls, bridges and flowers. After four hours of steady hiking, we break off the main trail and head into non-trekking territory. A bit later we come to the local school, where Tsering was taught, and then Dawa. It’s a small, seven room L-shaped building. The schoolmaster comes out to say hello to Tsering. He’s a sweet man, but he barely speaks English. Dawa’s proficiency clearly comes from his father and the private secondary school he attended in Kathmandu.
We cross the river again and head up hill. At the top of the hill we stop at Gara’s house (our chef) for lunch. Gara’s full time trekking job is the chef for a Japanese company. And he proves it with the Japanese style lunch he makes—miso soup, pickled eggplant and cabbage, and the most amazing sticky rice I’ve ever had. After lunch, they turn on the T.V. and bring out popcorn. They settle on ‘India’s Got Talent’—hosted by the Indian version of Simon Cowell and Marie Osmond. How American.
The acts are glitzy dance groups, bagpipers, and a girl pulling a bus with her hair.
The house is a traditional Nepali home. Two rooms. A kitchen and communal room. The communal room is where everyone eats and sleeps. The women help cook, but do not join us for the meal or for TV and popcorn, but rather they seclude themselves in the kitchen.
After teatime, we head up the hill to Tsering’s home. He has a large home, two stories, and luxury of luxuries, private bedrooms and indoor bathroom with plumbing. Ni and I are put in Ngawa and Dawa’s bedroom, a typical boys bedroom, with posters and guitars hung on the wall.
That night we have corn on the cob, though they roast it until its fairly dry and then pop the kernels off by hand and ricki (potatoes), boiled and dipped in hot sauce.
Then they follow that up with soup, baby bok choy, and an exquisite apple pie.
After dinner and a rousing chorus of what has become my Nepal theme song (hey ricki your so fine your so fine you blow my mind hey ricki, hey ricki--the boys think my singing about potatoes is hysterical and occasionally join in), I make hot toddies. I’m hoping they’ll help Lisa’s cold, and Tsering and his wife Ami are both willing participants. At the end of the night as I’m topping off the drinks I make sure to pour Ami first. By the time I get to Tsering, I’m pretty much out, but he drains the last drop and adds only a dab of water to cut it.
Then we head off to bed.
Pictures:
On the Trail
Our Guys
Loading up the Dzo
No comments:
Post a Comment