Trekking Day 2

We had set up our tent the night before in the dark in front of the church. We woke up in the morning to a beautiful site. The village of Gatlang lay just below us with the low mountains (they call them hills!) all around with the Langtang Himalayan mountain just ahead. A breathtaking view!

I wondered where we were going to make a campfire when Shem started taking up the wooden floorboards to the church! Below was dirt, a firepit and metal grill. For breakfast we had chai and wai wai (an amazing sort of roman noodles with really good spices).

Shortly after breakfast the children came. There is a school next to the church and the kids seem to have a honing beacon for foreigners. Today, they were mostly circling and staring, but were particularly curious about the water bladder.

Shortly after 8 am, some adult villagers started coming by the church. They were looking for medical help from us. This happened very often and almost everywhere we went in the village people were telling us of their physical problems. They have no doctor living there and the next doctor expected to come won't be November. The first woman to come had serious breathing problems, head pains and eye problems. Again, this became a very common set of symptoms, almost entirely from women. Shem said it was from the cooking fires, which are in the middle of their house and most have no chimney so they are constantly getting smoke in their eyes and lungs. We also saw in a lot of the women, their eyes have started to permanently turn to the side (opposite of crossing). Tom and I are not doctors, so we prayed for her and gave her some ibuprofen for the pain. (Sigh).

In the later morning we started to go visiting some of the homes of the village. I'm amazed by the handcarved windows and doors. I had seen the work before in Durbar Square, but assumed it was historic art not current. I'm pleased because it is so beautiful and everywhere.

House #1 – had tea, prayed for woman with trouble breathing. While praying 6 woman joined us carrying huge loads of firewood strapped to their head.

House #2 – had tea and whole boiled potatoes.

In this area, potato is the major crop and so we were constantly being offered potatoes, whole boiled potatoes. I actually really love potatoes, so had no problem just sitting to a lunch of whole boiled potatoes dipped in chilli sauce. However, in the first 24 hours we counted that I ate 17 whole boiled potatoes. Tom had 24. See photo for a typical plate we were each given.

House #3 – had tea, visited, started to learn some key words in the local language of Tamang. Heard a weird humming and noticed a huge swarm of bees (thousands!) flying past the door. Tom asked if we should close the door. No one seemed nervous.

House #4 – had tea and boiled potatoes. When we first came into the house, it was very dark so the husband went and took apart some of the roof to let light in. It was effective.

House #5 – more smoke issues, but delicious boiled potatoes.

House #6 – went to Prem's house for dinner again. We are having daal bhaat and I'm not very hungry as I had eaten many potatoes. However, I take what I'm given and begin my first meal of sneaking rice to Tom when no one is looking.

Here is the dilemma. The guests are served first and the most and then constantly urged to take more. Only when the guest have finished eating can the family begin and only when the family has finished eating does the person who cooked the food (nearly always the woman) eat what is left. Further, I'm told that it is rude here to share food from your plate with another. It's also rude not to finish what is on your own plate. The women seem to assume that if you eat slowly or not everything that you don't like it and will tell you that you don't like it. I, unfortunately eat slowly and also fill up fast. This meal was to begin my dread of meals. The food was good and I liked it, but the amount of rice I was given was appropriate to someone who has worked hard labor all day, not someone who had only been eating potatoes and visiting all day! A huge dilemma for me. Tom, however, is a bottomless pit and the women loved how much and how fast he eats. Grrr. But, Tom is my hero as we devised a system of diversions so that when the host and hostess were distracted I could quickly dump food to his plate, which he promptly devoured. I should also mention that Tom continued to lose another 5 pounds on this trip.