Cloudy and Damp in Dhampus

“That dog seems awfully nervous. She barks at nothing and wants to be petted until you go near her neck and then she growls.”

“Oh, that’s because she was attacked by a leopard last week.”

“Here?”

“Yes, here.”

“Oh,” looks around nervously.

 

We are now in Dhampus after trekking to the Australian base camp, which is mainly a village of tea shops, guest houses and camping spots. It has no obvious associations with either mountain base camps, nor Australians. We consider it successful in that we managed to not be eaten by a leopard or piles of leeches during the trek, although we were leech swarmed at one point. The walk was completely delightful. 

The Canadian/British crew has gotten some of the staff here involved in highly passionate games of rummy. What is it about rummy that some people find so addictive? I’m happy just to sit here and stare at the blissful view.

Last night, post-rummy, we had Nepali thalis for dinner and then a bonfire. The previous night we had pie-eyed singers come up from the village and sing for us. This time Eddie and Phurba and a drummer started off with Nepali folk songs, then they wanted us to sing. The Ratsi bottle (cold millet wine redolent of paint thinner) made its rounds and I launched into I’se the By followed by a butchered version of Farewell to Nova Scotia. It went from bad to worse as the evening went on and we caterwauled pop and rock songs all in various keys. We tackled Hotel California and Bohemian Rhapsody and I did my Wayne’s World head banging. Dogs howled, Phurba screamed wrong lyrics in my ear and I imagined all the hillside villagers sharpening their axes for us.

This morning G & I had a Beatles video dance party in the dining room while the others sang along from their rummy game.

Mexico has Moctezuma’s Revenge, India has Delhi Belly. I declare the Nepal version of a lower GI disturbance to be the Momo Go-gos. One of our party has been experiencing it for a few days, which is difficult when moving from place to place. It’s concerning how we all have the same antibiotics for travellers diarrhea yet we have all been given different dosing directions.

Oh, and the airline has cancelled our flights from Kathmandu to Delhi. Most of us have a fallback ticket but a few have husbands scrambling to find airline available seats.