Dirt
A week into our walk we overheard someone asking their guide why the children were so dirty. Indeed, they can be pretty scraggly, but we doubt the reason is as the guide answered: “It’s very dirty here.”
After getting aove 11,000 feet or so on the eastern Annapurna range, it becomes too damn cold to do much of anything with water besides cook. Pouring even scalding water out of a bucket onto you leaves you freezing in between pours, and long after your “shower” has ended. Washing clothes in a bucket is a good way to have your fingers get frostbite.
By the time hikers make it through the ThorungLa, they are invariably several days unwashed and their clothes are desperately seeking a laundering. Fortunately, far below the pass on the western side, the weather improves and so does the quality of life. This brings us to the wonderful hot shower in this non-drafty room with an attached bathroom and western toilet. Admittedly though, we miss the other parts of medieval life.
Tags: Nepal
Adam
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