An absolutely freezing night. A double layer of thermals, a thermal hat, socks, a fleece, a sleeping bag and two quilts all tied up so only a tiny hole was left through which to breath. The inside of my nose began to ache with the cold … bogies crackling as they spontaneously froze solid.
Oh … and the rats [probably in puffer jackets] were back again, doing a spot check on a luggage!
“Oy! Barri! You faund any fin’?”
“Naaaaa! Nufin’? Shall we bugg’r off or shall we ran abart and chew the wall for the rest of the noyt?”
Headed off at a slow pace now within site of Annapurna Base Camp (ABC) only a little way ahead, but now with the distinct risk of Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS). Every little ache and pain sending now creating disproportionate levels of worry, having to stop more frequently now to catch our breath. Passing frozen streams in the bright hot sunshine.
Made it by lunchtime. Now without our virtual snail shells, we wondered around the camp, looking down into the huge living glacier that cracked and crackled, the occasion tinkling and then roaring of an avalanche. Passed Russian and Japanese memorials to mountaineers that hadn’t made it back. Many have climbed Everest summit and many have returned. As many people have been killed by Annapurna 1 as have come home to celebrate the feat.
Such a quiet and peaceful place, clean air, miles from civilization. Meanwhile, in civilization, we heard on a crackling faint radio that a bomb had gone off in Kathmandu … our next stop on our trip.
I was becoming one with my thermals, it being too cold to take the things off. Thread and skin merging into a single layer. A blow torch and wallpaper scraper would be needed on our return.
After 3 months of traveling in Nepal I’d become a dab hand at the dreaded squat toilet. No getting away from it … you have to use em! Standard proceedure as follows….
Stand in dark smelly hut, get out toilet paper, secure backpack to back as floor is flooded and no hangers, toilet paper between clenched teeth, pull up trouser legs to knees so they don’t dangle in aforementioned flooded floor, trousers and pants down to knees, secure all belts and potential droppables, squat, brace with hands against slimmey wall, attain balance previously only achievable by Russian gymnasts, aim, … oh dear … recalibrate aim, struggle to feet, spit out soggy bits of toilet paper, use paper, unfurl trousers and undergarments, get a bowl of water from the bucket for manual flushing of toilet, realise barrel is empty!, rush out of toilet with bucket, frantically gesticulate to everyone not to enter toilet, dash back with water getting it down the front of trowsers, create tidal wave in toilet, watch out for washback !
Now an experienced and hardened international traveller I laugh in the face of any Asian plumbing system. But now … the final test. Annapurna Base Camp … -10 celcius …. no light … a icy gale blowing under the door … the floor and covered with black ice … a challenge, certainly. Toilet paper and torch clenched between chattering teeth, skating round like demented Torville and Dean, rats in puffer jackets (again!) holding up score cards (9.4, 9.4, 9.3 … he’s a hit … the crowd go wild!!), the tinkling of liquid freezing in mid flight!
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