Trekking in the Himalayas

Nota pa’ los mexicanos: Escribo en ingles pa’ que los poco hispano-cuturizados amigos que no haban el idioma de Sabines y Cervantes (incuyendo a mi mujer, pero no le digan que les dije) puedan compartir mi experiencia. Mis amigos(as) mexicanos(as) todititos son bien chingones y al menos digieren el ingles escrito.
Excuse moi !

A wet’n white trekking in the Himalayas. Part 1.

I was walking under the rain on my way to breakfast at Raj’s. I ate and my friend Raj started giving me advice, just like mom: “… and buy a head of garlic, just in case that you get a flu”. Such were his words to finish the sermon.
I offered him 50 ruppies for his motorbike and his cook, who should take me to the bus stand. He accepted.
“Full raining”. The cook drove me but he gently suggested to take me a little further to get “best and cheap” local bus. I said yes. We kept going for, like 15 minutes after passing Pokhara’s bus stand and we arrived, completely soaked, to a guest house where a friend of the cook was waiting for us with “chocolate” (not exactly the eatable one) and a cup of tea. After smoking, the cook took me back to the check point so I coud show my trekking permit.
Half an hour later, I arrived to Phedi, the starting point and began climbing with 17.32 Kg, according to a Nepalese porter who checked the weight with both hands and his experienced right knee.
-"No possible, no possible… full leeches, full raining".
I used lots of my recently learnt Indian English, while walking with my tuna cans, bottle of brandy, chocolates, cashews, spirulina, camera, ipod, 2 liters of water, etc, etc, etc.. and my clothes on my back.
-shit, I shouldn't have brought so much food. Mhhh, a porter would have been a good idea. What if I get lost or worse, robbed? I foolishly even brought my wallet and passport.
In such a way I was whimpering only one hour after starting the trekking.
-and 14 days to go, ffffrogg!.
I reached Pothana micro-village after 4 hour walk and breathless got a room for the night, opened one of my tuna cans, bought a slice of yak cheese and a tomato… and "voila".
By that moment I was seriously considering to sell my tuna cans and drink the whole bottle of brandy. Fortunately, as you will see later, I didn't.
Next day I walked up to New Bridge village. Same, same… under the rain. Wonderful garden at the "lodge". On the third day I arrived to Chomrong with a better weather and a nice view of the valley, but no Himalayan Peaks View yet. The following morning was raining badly and all my clothes were still wet. I decided to stay for one more day for the snake festival, which according to the local mountain people is the day that separates bad from good weather. It wasn’t precisely true, but almost. I restarted my trekking a day after the festival under heavy rain. I Arrived after 7 hours to the lonely and gloomy Himalayan Hotel (only kind of lodge in those latitudes). Half frozen I came into the reception-shop-bedroom-livingroom-diningroom room where an oriental & weird table-game was being played by 6 young men.
-Hi. Silence
-Excuse me. I said again while making a lake around me.
-Hahahahaha. Pichirila pasarvati. Hahahaha. The boys said among themselves.
-Do you have a room? Silence
-Mhhh do you have a room? I repeated in a higher tone
-A room? Said one of them, finally noticing me.
-yessss. Do youuuu haveee a room?
-Oh, I don’t know. Ask him. He said pointing to the guy at his right.
-Do you have a room?
-A room? Said this time the “guy at his right”
-fuck, I thought. Yes, do you have a room? Bedroom? I almost shouted
-Ah room. Yes, take number 1.
He returned to his game and I went out looking for room No. 1.
Found it quickly. Took off clothes, got soap and towel and dived into the bathroom. A big sing said: only cold water. And cold it was. Directly from the ice of the Himalayas. That’s when the brandy became such a good idea. Shaking, I got a big sip of brandy and opened a snickers chocolate, got lots of clothes on me and rested for an hour. I left the room later to find a kerosene fire under the table, together with 2 huge containers of food in vinegar, where I put my soaked garments to dry. There was a Korean senior man with his guide at the table.
Next day I started walking at 6am with my “perfumed & dry clothes”. Finally, great scenery: ice caves, valleys, immense waterfalls, flowers, jungle… It just rained 1/3 of the day. I arrived to Annapurna BC to find the Korean couple that I had met in Chomrong: Young and Jo, also from South Korea, and their most affable, nice Nepalese guide Jaya.
Again “only cold water” sign in the shower, but not true, it was frozen. The brandy-chocolate strategy saved my life again.
We played cards with 2 fires under the table, fortunately, no vinegar food this time =)
Anxiously I asked the lodge manager:
-have you seen the peaks lately?
-Not in a couple of weeks. He replied. Today, early morning, only the legs of the mountain.
I couldn’t help to imagine a white girl with mini-skirt.
-Oh, maybe we get lucky tomorrow. I said, not very convinced.
But… lucky we got...