Sorry for the abrupt ending to our last post. The lights were flickering here (the power goes out frequently in Kathmandu) and we didn't want another repeat of Lhasa where we lost our whole story.
Anyway, so...we arrived, breathless, and exhausted at a little tent in teh middle of the camp. This tent caught our eye as it had a large sign outside saying "Hotel California". As promised, it was warm and comfortable (more so than the hostel at the bottom of the hill). They sat us down, and promptly began filling us with piping hot jasmine tea. That's pretty much what we did for the next couple of days. We huddled around the fire, drank tea, ate instant noodles, looked out at Everest, and relaxed in all the warm blankets. We were also entertained by our hostess, Droma. She was an 18 year old Tibetan girl who ran Hotel California with her brother, Togchi. She didn't speak a ton of English, but she understood it very well, and was an expert mimicer/mocker. She would repeat anything you said, in a mocking tone, and then laugh at herself for 10 minutes. She also sang us the song "Hotel California" every once in a while. Her crowning moment however, was when we asked her what the fire was fueled with (keep in mind we are way above the tree line, so wood is hard to come by). She proudly, and loudly responded, "Yak Shit!" We all laughed for a solid 20 mins.
After a relaxing couple of days, we hiked back down the mountain, and headed on to te Nepal border. We were very much looking forward to the warmth of Kathmandu.
En route to Kathmandu we had to drive through the Himalaya Mountains. We just wanted to briefly mention the sheer granduer of the mountains. Their size is truly indescribable. The drive was hands down one of the most amazing and beautiful things either of us have ever seen. We'll try to post some pictures soon, but it really has to be seen to be believed.
Oh and for those of you keeping track at home, that was Day 10 without a shower! While Jen showered right when we got to our hotel in Kathmandu, Kevin decided to stretch it one more day...yep 11 days...No shower.
Ok, time for dinner, stay tuned for more!
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